1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to archery arrowheads. More particularly, the present invention relates to improved broadhead-type arrowheads having superior flight and performance characteristics.
2. Description of the Related Art
Broadheads are similar to other arrowheads in that they are designed to be secured to the tip of an archery arrow. When the arrow is shot from an archery bow, the arrowhead is the first part of the arrow/arrowhead combination that impacts a target, which may be a game animal. It is preferable that the broadhead strike and kill the target as quickly and humanely as possible. A problem that often arises with bow hunting concerns the tracking and locating of a wounded or “hit” animal for harvesting.
Wounded animals may suffer after being hit by an arrow, and can become dangerous to the hunter and others. Thus, upon contact with a game animal, a broadhead should inflict as much damage as possible in order to promote bleeding and shorten the time between an arrow strike and resultant death of a game animal.
The presently available broadheads have certain disadvantages in that the speed, distance, and the accuracy of flight of the arrow shaft through the air may be adversely affected by the structural configuration of the broadhead. In addition, there are certain legal requirements setting forth the conditions under which the use and structure of the broadhead arrows must comply.
With the availability of new materials, the method for delivering the arrow has improved considerably. Compound bows have the capability to launch arrows at considerably higher velocities than previous types of bows. Unfortunately, these higher velocities introduce significant aerodynamic problems in maintaining accurate arrow flight with a broadhead attached.
The overall cutting width of prior broadhead designs was reduced to maintain as narrow an aerodynamic profile as possible. This allows the arrow to have an accurate flight, but provides for the chance that a target would only be wounded and not killed. The blades size and arrangement are vital for accurate flight and for efficient killing. Even a narrow blade width can have difficulty in achieving repeatable accurate arrow flights, due to pressure exerted by the wind as the arrow flies to its intended target.
In order to provide a large contact area, broadheads have been designed that expand on impact with a target. These “mechanical broadheads” normally include expandable blades to cause larger damage to the target. These expandable blades offer a combination of both accurate arrow flight and effective harvesting, in a single arrowhead. However, mechanical broadheads have several disadvantages such as, reduced penetration of the broadhead, structural weakness of the elements, and possible inoperability at the critical moment of contact with the game animal.
Blade assemblies have the general shape of a substantially triangular or delta wing configuration, and as such, the blades can act generally like a wing and provide lift for the arrow and cause the arrow to fly off course. Thus, much like the control surfaces of an aircraft wing, the angled portion length to overall blade assembly length can aid or detract in steering the arrow to the target.
Some examples of broadheads are disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,863,630 to Watkins, et al.; 6,966,856 to Hajek; 7,037,222 to Mizek et al.; 7,037,223 to Kuhn; 7,160,217 to Sohm; and 7,255,659 to Jones.
What is needed is a broadhead designed to make an enlarged hole in a target as compared with the previously known broadheads, in order to shorten the time between impact of the arrow with the target and the subsequent immobility of the target.
Accordingly, it is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a broadhead having a reduced aerodynamic drag, thereby decreasing the air turbulence and wind noise generated during flight, and which is configured to kill a game animal as humanely as possible.